Life-boat toboggan.



W. H. WIGKHAM. LIFE BOAT TOBOGGAN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1913.

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qmi/Wmow W. H. WICKHAM.

LIFE BOAT TOBOGGAN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2 1913,

Patented Feb. 17, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM H. WICKHAM, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

LIFE-BOAT TOBOGGAN.

ostess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 29, 1913.

Patented Feb. 1?, 121a.

Serial No. 764,400.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Wmmair H. Wronnan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of VVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Boat Toboggans; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to launching apparatus for life boats.

As its principal object, this invention contemplates the provision of a novel form of toboggan which may be readily attached to the deck of any ship and will permit the life boats to be quickly launched with a minimum amount of time and labor.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

1th reference to the drawings, wherein T have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating the life boats in their relation to the toboggan immediately prior to the launching of the boat. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the toboggan illustrated in collapsed or folded position. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the novel form of life boat employed in this invention, taken with the bottom side of the boat uppermost. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the toboggan tracks.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings, the preferred form of life boat employed in this invention includes a plurality of boat sections, designated as entireties in Figs. 2 and 4:, by the numerals 1, 2 and 3. These boat sections are substantially V-shaped in cross section, and are each provided with a prow 4: and a stern 5, of customary formation. The boat sections may be formed of metal and made of a single sheet of metallic material, or may be made in three separate sections, and secured to each other by any suitable fastening means.

Between the sections 1 and 2 and 2 and 3, and on the bottom face of the converging bottom walls of the sections are arranged a pair of air casings (l and 7, preferably cylindrical in shape, and provided for the obvious purpose of increasing the buoyancy of the boat. The heels 8 and 9 of the boat sections 1 and 3 carry adjacent each terminal a pair of downwardly extending spaced standards 10 between which is mounted a wheel 11 journaled on an axle 12.

The preferred form of toboggan includes two sections, a foldable section and a fixed section. The fixed section includes a pair of channel-shaped track ways 13 and 14, mounted in spaced parallel relation to each other on a bed block 15, arranged on a base block 16, which is supported on the deck 17 by a frame 18. The block 15 is hinged, as at 19, to the member 16, at the longitudinal edge thereof, adjacent the rail of the ship, indicated at 20. The trachs 13 and 14 extend beyond the hinged edge of the blocks 15 and 16 and are of such length that when the life boat is moved forwardly into the position indicated in Fig. 1, and the block 15 is consequently tilted, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the ends of the track ways 13 and 141 will rest in the upper terminals of a pair of fold-able tracks 21 and 22. The member 22 may be provided with cross braces 23 and 2d. its a means of detachably securing the track ways 21 and 22 to the rail 20 of the ship, this invention employs a hook member 25, carried on the upper terminal of each track and adapted to engage a U-shaped securing bracket 26, fastened on the rail in any suitable manner. When the tracks 21 and 22 are let down from the side of the ship into the launching position, they are held in the desired angle of inclination to the ship side by a spacing frame, designated as an entirety in Fig. 1 by the numeral 27. The frame 2? includes a pair of side members 28 and 29, pivotally secured as at 30 to the under side of the members 21 and 22, and held in parallel spaced relation to each other by a cross brace 82. A pair of cleats 33 may be secured to the side of the ship to prevent the downward movement of the members 28 and 29 beyond the desired position. The members 28 and 29 may be further connected to the tracks 21 and 22 by collapsible braces 34. By reference to F 3 it will be observed that the collapsible track way formed by the members 2-1 and 22 is. mounted to permit its being folded into vertical extension, as illustrated.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a ship may be equipped with a number of these life boats and launching toboggans, and that the launching process is very simple in its nature, and may be quickly accomplished, since it is only necessary for the passengers to seat themselves in the boat, and that their weight itself will be sufficient to tilt the block 16, bringing the tracks 13 and 1s and 28 and 29 in assembled position, in which the boat will slide down the tracks into the water.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above de scription, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet, realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

-What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described the combination with a ship of a base block secured to the deck of said ship, a tiltable block hingedly secured to said base block, a pair of tracks secured to said tiltable block and extending outwardly therefrom at one terminal thereof, a foldable track way detachably secured to the side of the ship and adapted to be disposed in a position of downward inclination to the sides of the ship, the extended terminals of said tiltable block track normally disposed in superposed relation to the upper terminals of the foldable track and adapted to be disposed in a position of alinenient with the inclined track and means for supporting said foldable track in downwardly inclined position comprising a pair of supporting bars pivotally connected with the track intermediate the ends thereof, a pair of supporting cleats secured to the sides of the ship and adapted to have the free terminals of the supporting bars rest in engagement therewith and a pair of foldable brace rods disposed at right angles to said supporting rods and secured to said foldable track and the supporting rods.

2. In a device of the character described the combination with a ship of a base block secured to the deck thereof, a tiltable block hingedly connected with the base block, a track mounted upon said tiltable block, a foldable track detachably secured to the sides of the ship and adapted to be supported in downwardly inclined relation to the sides of the ship, hook members carried upon the upper terminals of said foldable track, ti -shaped brackets secured to the sides of the ship and adapted to receive the hook members, means for supporting said foldable trac: in the desired angular relation with the sides of the ship comprising a pair of spaced supporting bars hingedly connected at one terminal to the foldable track, a pair of supporting cleats secured to the sides of the ship and adapted to supportingly engage the free terminals of the supporting bars and a pairof brace members connected with said supporting rods and the foldable track.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

l VILLIAM H. l VIGKHAM.

lVitnesses PETER A. FLEUOHAUS, Josnrn C. Fon'ramn.

Gepies'of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

